That stretched Gers’ lead at the top of the Championship to a commanding 11 points with hapless Hibs stumbling to a second consecutive defeat four days as they went down 3-2 in Dumbarton.

While the Edinburgh side have lost their way, Gers keep doing just enough to grind out the wins - but again hey left it late after struggling to make their dominance count.

The absence of a 28 goal striker is bound to be felt by any team but this was a game that was crying out for crocked top scorer Martyn Waghorn, sitting frustrated in the stand as a string of golden chances went begging without him in the first half.

Kenny Miller has long been familiar with that lone front man role over his illustrious career but Gers fans know as well as any that the veteran striker has a track of record of misses even more spectacular than the goals he scores.

And so it proved again when the impressive Michael O’Halloran’s dash for the line and low cutback laid it on a plate for Miller surging into the six yard box. It looked easier to score than to miss but somehow, from all of three yards the striker managed to defy the laws of physics by blasting his first-time effort over the bar.

Miller’s stunned reaction, holding his head in his hands in disbelief, captured the story of the miss of a first half where Rangers threw everything forward but just couldn’t find their way through a well drilled St Mirren rear guard defending for their lives.

Frustration started to show after the break when Kenny Miller saw two shouts for a penalty snubbed referee John McKendrick after going down under pressure from Andy Webster and then Jack Baird.

And the longer St Mirren held out the bolder they became to edge forward in search of their own opportunities but, like Rangers, they just lacked that killer touch where it counts in the final third.

Saints keeper Jamie Langfield twice came to his side’s rescue with a good block with his feet to deny O’Halloran and and spectacular flying save to claw James Tavernier’s free-kick out of the top corner.

That was just the first of the goalie’s heroics in the frantic final 20 minutes that saw him deny another Tavernier howitzer and pulling off a crucial block to confound substitute Billy King at the back post.

But with Rangers throwing everything at the Buddies it was going to take a monumental effort to weather the storm to the last whistle, and four minutes from time their courageous resistance was broken.

Again O’Halloran was the key creative influence, dancing inside to slide a neat little ball into the path of Forrester to clip home a clever first-time finish across Langfield and into the far top corner.

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED

PITCH PERFECT

Mark Warburton has been at the heart of the debate about plastic pitches and to be fair he’s speaking from a position of strength when his own playing surface is as good as this in the heart of winter. Credit to the Ibrox ground staff.

ST MIRREN’S RAE OF SUNSHINE

With three home wins on the bounce heading to Ibrox this was another steely, well organised performance that suggests Alex Rae has got St Mirren well on the road to recovery.

CHAMPAGNE’S ON ICE

You won’t hear anyone at Rangers say it yet, but after Hibs’ latest stumble you can consider the Championship title now destined for Ibrox.